Grinding machine



May 7, 1963 L. a. POPE ETAL GRINDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 15, 1961 J ,nw m 1 WW W JM w 3 I I r May 7, 1963 L. B. POPE ETAL GRINDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 13, 1961 May 7, 1963 B. POPE ETAL GRINDING MACHINE 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 13, 1961 3,088,249 GRINDING MAEHINE Lyman B. Pope, Kingston, and John W. Sjostrom, Salem,

NJ-L, assignors to Pope Machinery Corporation, Haverhiil, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Sept. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 137,783 6 Claims. (Cl. 51-105) This invention relates to a grinding machine in which adaptability to various uses is combined with a high degree of accuracy. The machine hereinafter described and illustrated on the drawings is quickly and easily adaptable for internal or external grinding, and can, for example, be used to grind standard centers or anti-friction centers to accurate taper angles.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following description thereof and to the drawings, of which FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the same;

FIGURE 3 is a partial view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing a different position of operation;

FIGURE 4 is a partial sectional view on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a section, on a larger scale, taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 6 is a section, on a larger scale, taken on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 1, and on the same scale on the line 6-6 of FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of the mechanism shown in FIGURE 7 with the cover removed; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary perspective view of the spindle head, showing a driving connection for live centers.

The machine shown on the dram'ngs has a box-like base 10 the top of which is the bed 12. The bed 12 has a raised platform 14 the surface 16 of which is made accurately plane. The frame 18 of a grinder head 20 bears directly on the surface 16 and is clamped thereon by a single heavy bolt 22 which extends down from the bottom of the head 20 through an elongated aperture 24 in the platform 14 and is threaded in a clamping member in the form of a disk 26 which bears against the under side of the bed 12. When the disk is loosened, the head 20 is capable of universal adjustment on the surface 16, that is, it can be turned about a vertical axis to any desired angle and can be given translational movement in any direction on the surface 16 without the use of carriages or turrets. To this end, the dimensions of the bottom of the grinder head frame are substantially greater than the width of the aperture 24, and the diameter of the bolt 22 is substantially less than the width of the aperture, the disk 26 being capable of spanning the aperture when the bolt is moved to any possible position through the aperture. Trwo side edges 28, 30 of the platform 14 are finished accurately in vertical planes which are parallel respectively with the longitudinal and transverse axes of the machine. The side faces of the frame 18 are also accurately finished in vertical planes so that by using a machinists T-square, the grinder head 20 may quickly and easily be set in close approximation to any desired angular position and secured in such position by tightening the bolt 22. The elongated slot 24 allows for adjustive movement of the grinder head in any horizontal direction to positions for operation on workpieces of different sizes. The grinder head can be quickly removed and replaced by another grinder head, e.g., by a grinding head for internal grinding, the latter requiring a much greater speed of rotation of the tool for satisfactory operation.

The grinder head 20 for external grinding comprises the frame 18 through the upper portion of which a sleeve 34 is slidable longitudinally but is held against rotation by a suitable spline or key 36. Journalled in the sleeve 34 is a shaft 38 on one end of which is mounted a grinding wheel 40, the other end of the shaft being connected to an electric motor 42 or other means by which it can be driven. The grinding tool 46 is arranged to be fed axially by manual operation. For this purpose a hand lever 44 is operatively connected with the sleeve 34 whereby the shaft 38, the tool 45} and the motor 42 can be advanced and retracted as a unit. The lever 44 is mounted on a vertical shaft 46 which is journalled in the frame 18. Keyed to the shaft 46 is a disk or drum 48 having two circumferential grooves 50, S2 in its periphery. A strong cable 54 which is virtually inextensible is passed around the circumference of the disk 48 and occupies half of the groove 50 and half of the groove 52 when the tool unit is in its mid position of travel. The end portions of the cable 54 leave the disk tangentially in opposite directions as shown in FIGURE 7, the extremities of the cable being secured to opposite ends of the key 36 which is mounted on the sleeve 34. Adjusting nuts 56 are provided on the ends of the cable 54 to make the cable taut so that there will be no backlash or play between the operating lever 44 and the tool 40. A pair of screws 58 may be set into the periphery of the disk at the point where the cable 54 shifts from one groove to the other to anchor the cable securely to the disk. Accordion boots 60 are preferably provided between the frame 18 and the motor 42 and tool 40 to protect the exposed portions of the sleeve 34 from dust and dirt.

The work spindle head of the machine is mounted on three elevated coplanar platforms 62 which are integral with the bed 12. Slidable on the platforms 62 is a cross-slide 64 which is a rectangular plate having a transverse spline 66 on its under surface slidably fittted in a transverse channel in the middle platform 62 so that the cross-slide is movable only at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the machine to carry the spindle back and forth across the bed. Manually operable means are provided for rapid or gradual travel of the cross-slide 64. For this purpose, a transverse bore 68 is provided in the cross-slide and an internally threaded sleeve 70 is secured in one end of the bore 68. A feed screw 72 is in threaded engagement with the sleeve 70 and is usually locked against axial movement so that rotation of the screw 72 by the hand wheel 74 mounted thereon causes gradual travel of the cross-slide 64. For quick travel, the feed screw 72 is journalled in bearings at the end of a sleeve 76 which is usually locked against axial movement but which can quickly be released. To look the sleeve 76 a block 78 is forced down against it by a screw 80 turned by a handle 82. When the pressure of the block 78 on the sleeve is relieved by turning the screw 80, the sleeve can be quickly advanced or retracted by manipulation of a handle 84 on a shaft 86 which carries a pinion 88 meshing with gear teeth 90 cut into the side of the sleeve 76.

Resting on the cross-slide 64 is a plate 22 on which is mounted the spindle frame 94. The plate 92 is connected to the cross-slide by a pivot 95 near the end of the plate which is adjacent to the tool head. The plate is capable of fine angular adjustment about the pivot 95. The frame 94 and parts carried thereby are adjustable toward and from the grinder head, that is, longitudinally of the bed 12. For this purpose the plate 92 is provided with a median tongue 96 and two T-slots 98 and 100. The spindle frame 94 is grooved on its bottom as at 102, the groove fitting slidably on the tongue 96. To secure the spindle head in adjusted position four bolts 104 are provided near the corners of the spindle 3 frame 94, the heads of two of the bolts engaging in each of the two T-slots.

Journalled in the frame 94 is a spindle 106 having a collet .108 at one end which may be replaced if desired by a chuck or other means for holding the work-piece. To rotate a work-piece which is clamped in the collet, power means are connected to the spindle. As shown, an electric motor 110 is mounted on the spindle frame 94 and is connected to the spindle by a power belt 112 running from a pulley 114 on the motor shaft 116 to a pulley 1 18 on the spindle 106. If a live (anti-friction) center is to be ground, the belt 112 is removed from the pulleys 1 14, 118, and a belt 120 is mounted on the other end of the motor shaft 116 and on the rotatable end portion of the live center as indicated in FIGURE 9.

The adjustability of the grinder head 20 on the plane surface 16 makes the machine available for operation on a wide variety of sizes and shapes of work-pieces. Advancing the tool to or along the work-piece -is readily done by means of the handle 44, an adjustable stop member 122 being provided to limit such advance if desired. As it is often important to grind an exact angle on a center, a close approximation can be had by adjusting the position of the grinder head on the platform .14. Then trial pieces are ground and tested by sensitive means such as an optical comparator. Fine adjustments of the angle are then made by small adjustive movements of the plate 92 about is pivot 95. For this purpose ears 130, 132 are fixed to the sides of the cross-slide 64 near the end remote from the pivot 95. Bolts 134, 136 are threaded through the respective ears, the ends of these bolts abutting the sides of the plate 92 as indicated in FIGURE 2. These bolts can be manipulated to make very fine adjustments of the angular position of the spindle head about the axis of the pivot 95. To secure the spindle head in its adjusted angular position, two bolts 150 and 151 with large heads 152 and 153 respectively extend through the plate 92 and through oversize holes in the cross-slide 64. The nuts on these bolts are loosened to release the plate 92 for fine angular adjustment about the pivot 95. Then the nuts on the bolts 150 and 151 are tightened to hold the plate 92 and the spindle frame 94 inaccurately adjusted angular position.

We claim:

1. A grinding machine comprising a bed having thereon a raised platform with an accurately plane surface and an elongated aperture therethrough, a movable grinder head unit having a plane bottom face bearing on said plane surface and universally adjustable thereon, means extending through said aperture for clamping said unit in any position of adjustment, and means on said bed for supporting and rotating a work-piece in an operative position relative to said grinder head unit, said work-supporting means having means for fine angular adjustment thereof about a vertical axis.

2. A grinding machine as described in claim 1, said grinder head unit comprising a frame, a horizontal shaft extending through said frame, a tool at one end of said shaft, driving means at the other end of said shaft, and manually operable means for feeding said shaft and tool axially.

3. A grinding machine comprising a bed having thereon a raised platform with an accurately plane surface and an elongated aperture therethrough, a movable grinder head unit having a plane bottom face bearing on said plane surface and universally adjustable thereon, meahs extending through said aperture for clamping said unit in any position of adjustment, said grinder head unit comprising a frame a horizontal sleeve slida'ble in said frame, means preventing rotative movement of said sleeve in said frame, a shaft journalled in said sleeve, a tool on one end of said shaft, a motor connected to the other end of said shaft, means for feeding said sleeve, shaft, tool and motor axially, said feeding means comprising a drum rotatably mounted edgewise to said frame, a cable extending around said drum with its ends secured to said sleeve, and means for manually turning said drum, and means on said bed for supporting and rotating a workpiece in an operative position relative to said grinder head unit, said work-supporting means having means for fine angular adjustment thereof about a vertical axis.

4. A grinding machine comprising a bed having thereon a raised platform with an accurately plane surface and an elongated aperture therethrough, a movable grinderv head unit having a plane bottom face bearing on said plane surface and universally adjustable thereon, means extending through said aperture for clamping said unit in any p sition of adjustment, and means on said bed for supporting and rotating a work-piece in an operative position relative to said grinder head unit, said workvsupporting means comprising a cross-slide keyed to said bed, a plate on said cross-slide pivoted near the end thereof adjacent to the grinder head unit, means for making fine angular adjustments of said plate about said pivot, and a spindle headkeyed to said plate and longitudinally adjustable thereon.

5. A grinding machine as described in claim 4, including means for manually feeding said cross-slide transversely of the machine by gradual movements and means for releasing said gradualfeeding means for rapid transverse movements of said cross-slide.

6. A grinding machine comprising a bed having thereon a raised platform with an accurately plane horizontal surface and two accurately plane vertical edge surfaces which are at right angles to each other, said platform having an elongated aperture therethrough, a movable grinder head unit including a frame with a plane side face in a vertical plane and a tool-supporting shaft carried by said frame and rotatable about an axis parallel to said side face, said frame having a plane bottom face of a length and width substantially greater than the width of said aperture bearing on said plane hori- 'zontal surface, and means on said bed for clamping said grinder head unitvin any position of adjustment, said clamping means comprising a bolt extending down from the bottom of the grinder head unit through said aperture, the diameter of said bolt being substantially less than the width of said aperture, and a clamping member attached to said bolt spanning said aperture beneath the platform.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,164 Taylor July 13, 1909 1,178,036 Stretcher Apr. 4, 1916 1,467,023 Willson Sept. 4, 1923 1,877,546 Albee Sept. 13, 1932 2,645,069 Walkey July 14, 1953 

1. A GRINDING MACHINE COMPRISING A BED HAVING THEREON A RAISED PLATFORM WITH AN ACCURATELY PLANE SURFACE AND AN ELONGATED APERTURE THERETHROUGH, A MOVABLE GRINDER HEAD UNIT HAVING A PLANE BOTTOM FACE BEARING ON SAID PLANE SURFACE AND UNIVERSALLY ADJUSTABLE THEREON, MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE FOR CLAMPING SAID UNIT IN ANY POSITION OF ADJUSTMENT, AND MEANS ON SAID BED FOR SUPPORTING AND ROTATING A WORK-PIECE IN AN OPERATIVE POSITION RELATIVE TO SAID GRINDER HEAD UNIT, SAID WORK-SUPPORTING MEANS HAVING MEANS FOR FINE ANGULAR ADJUSTMENT THEREOF ABOUT A VERTICAL AXIS. 